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Towards Multi-physics Optimisation of Electrical Machine Housings
No full textThe demand for higher efficiency and reduced weight in electric machines has driven designers to explore advanced materials and innovative assembly techniques. One such method is shrink-fitting, which offers advantages over traditional mechanical joints such as keyways, particularly in reducing overall weight and complexity whilst maintaining sufficient holding torque or axial resistance to load through friction. In electric machines, shrink-fitting can be applied between the motor housing and the stator to provide a structurally integral assembly. This method also enhances thermal conductivity and heat dissipation though the increased stress on the stator can interduce higher iron losses. This paper investigates the mechanical effect of the shrink-fit process on stator materials, with a focus on understanding the frictional holding torque as first stage in the overall optimisation of shrink-fit of stators in electric machine housing. Several physical parameters are experimentally examined, including material properties, surface topography, coefficient of friction at the interface under various pressure, and the effects of manufacturing processes such as wire EDM, grinding and punching
Book Arts as Archives of Decolonisation:The Design and Visuality of Arabic Books (1950s–1980s)
No full textThis article sheds light on a remarkable, yet hitherto overlooked, period in which Arabic book arts flourished, spanning from the 1950s to the 1980s. It argues that the thriving visual culture of books during this era mirrored the artistic, political, and intellectual ferment of decolonisation in the Arab world. As everyday sites of political and creative imaginings, the visuality of books was integral to decolonisation struggles. It helped shape new aesthetic sensibilities, articulate political imaginaries, and mobilise cross-border anticolonial solidarities. The study uncovers the creative labour of designing and illustrating Arabic books, while centring on the aesthetic and political preoccupations of Arab artists-graphic designers involved in their making. It proposes a methodology and analysis of the various ways visuality came to reshape the book’s economy, narrative, politics and pedagogy. This article’s examination of book arts as archives of decolonisation is significant not only for understanding how the political and aesthetic endeavours of this era have transformed Arabic books, but also — crucially — for contributing to a historical and epistemological restitution of what “decolonising” meant for artists–graphic designers grappling with modernism in the global South
Placebo and Nocebo Responses in Gabapentin Enacarbil and Pregabalin Trials for Restless Legs Syndrome:Time-Course Model-Based Network Meta-Analysis and Meta-analysis of Proportions
No full textPurpose:Placebo responses are often stronger in randomized controlled trials (RCT) on conditions that measure subjective improvement in symptoms, such as restless legs syndrome (RLS). This meta-analysis sought to quantify both placebo and nocebo responses in published RCTs of gabapentin enacarbil (GEn) and pregabalin.Methods:In the first meta-analytic approach, we evaluated the time-courses taken by the participants randomized to the different doses of GEn and pregabalin and to placebo in their responses in International RLS Study Group Rating Scale (IRLS) scores. This was primarily evaluated by estimating the posterior median ET50s, the time (days) at which 50% of maximum response was achieved in IRLS scores for these participants. In a second meta-analytic approach, one-arm meta-analyses estimated proportions of participants on placebo considered “responders” on the investigator-initiated Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) scale, and separately of those who developed somnolence and dizziness. Results:A total of 16 RCTs were included in this meta-analysis. Relative differences in ET50s (median and 95% credible intervals) between GEn 600, 900, 1200, 1800, 2400 mg/d doses and placebo were 1.09 (0.07; 2.92), 1.35 (0.05; 5.85), 0.56 (0.02; 1.79), 0.62 (0.03; 2.34) and 1.61 (0.10; 5.22) days, respectively, and between pregabalin mean doses of 107.8 and 337.5 mg/d and placebo were 21.75 (0.89; 145.26) and 2.54 (0.12; 8.41) days, respectively, indicating largely clinically insignificant differences. Pooled proportion of CGI-I responders amongst the participants randomized to placebo was 0.40 [(95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.31; 0.49), I2=84%]. Duration of RCTs and previous RLS treatment were associated with CGI-I response based on meta-regression analyses. Pooled proportions of participants randomized to placebo who developed somnolence and dizziness were 0.05 [(95%CIs: 0.03; 0.08), I2=75%], and 0.02 [(95%CIs: 0.01; 0.04), I2=62%], respectively. Conclusions:GEn and pregabalin showed substantial placebo responses in RCTs. Further studies are needed that would identify predictor variables for placebo responders or non-responders
The role of physical activity in the prevention and management of obesity:A Position statement from the World Obesity Federation
No full textThis Position Statement is intended to synthesise and interpret current consensus and salient developments rather than provide a systematic review of the literature. We therefore used a targeted search and expert consultation approach to update the World Obesity Federation’s stance. Between June 2025– September 2025, we searched PubMed/Medline and Google Scholar and screened recent guidance from international public-health bodies for terms related to physical activity, obesity prevention/management, implementation, equity, and climate co-benefits. We prioritised high quality syntheses and guidelines (e.g. umbrella reviews, consensus statements), recent primary studies with policy relevance, and low- and middle- income country (LMIC) relevant examples. References were supplemented through citation chasing and consultation with four subject-matter experts (clinical, public-health, implementation). Inclusion was based on relevance, recency (typically ≥2018), and applicability to policy and practice; no formal risk-of-bias assessment was undertaken. We share this method’s limitations (risk of omission and selection bias)
Multiverse Analysis of the Effect of a Non-Deceptive Placebo on a Neural Measure of Emotional Distress
No full textAn objective, neurological effect of a non-deceptive placebo observed in Guevarra et al. (2020) is robust to age sub-sampling and electrode selection. However, it seems likely to be a false positive
A new generation of EU gender equality Law? Interrogating the transformative potential beyond the scope of sex discrimination
No full textDancing with Giants:Learning Goal-Directed Non-Verbal Attunement with Large-Scale Inflatable Robots
No full textThis research investigates non-verbal, embodied interaction with unfamiliar agents, focusing on large-scale soft robotic systems and their potential to support learning, coordination, and self-reflection. Inspired by equine-assisted interventions (EAIs), therapeutic practices with live horses that foster emotional regulation and wellbeing, it examines interaction as a relational process shaped by ambiguity, resistance, and reciprocal responsiveness. Across autoethnography, co-design, and interaction studies, it explores how attunement emerges through breakdown, repair, and embodied negotiation. Soft, inflatable robots provide a material platform that combines physical safety with human-scale presence, enabling exploration of autonomy, uncertainty, and embodied risk. Rather than replacing EAIs, this work investigates how relational mechanisms can be translated into robotic systems to support reflective awareness of bodily behaviour, coordination, and co-regulation. It contributes to HCI and HRI by challenging comfort-oriented design paradigms and positioning robots as relational partners shaping interaction through calibrated unpredictability and reciprocal embodiment
Train Flow Sensing and Positioning via In-Service Polarization Reuse over Bidirectional Optical fibre Transmission Systems
No full textWe propose and deploy an ISIC platform based on polarization and neural network analysis, and conduct a two-week field trial in a metro network, achieving real-time train traffic monitoring and localization while maintaining high-quality communication
Enhancement of Esterification Reaction Rates in Solvent-Free Aerosol Droplets
No full textAerosols are appealing vessels for accelerating chemical reactions owing to their high surface area-to-volume ratios and capacity to access supersaturated solute states. Although many studies demonstrate enhanced reaction rates in charged droplets using electrospray ionisation-mass spectrometry, such studies have poor control over experimental parameters including droplet size, water content, and imparted charge and generally cannot explore the reaction’s reversibility. Here, an esterification reaction between a dicarboxylic acid and low volatility alcohol (that in bulk synthesis requires reflux at 160 oC for ~15 hours in non-aqueous solvent) is investigated in aqueous aerosol droplets spanning picolitre to sub-femtolitre volumes. Individual picolitre droplets generated without applied external voltage were confined within an Aerosol Optical Tweezers instrument and Raman spectroscopy used to resolve chemical change in the droplets. Flow tube experiments on sub-femtolitre aerosol droplets were conducted using both online aerosol mass spectrometry and off-line NMR spectroscopy. Across both droplet volume scales, the esterification was facile (<400 s in picolitre droplets, <2 s in sub-femtolitre droplets) upon droplet dehydration at room temperature. We demonstrate that both the forward and reverse reaction are vastly accelerated in aerosol compared to macroscopic solution. The unique aspects of this study include rigorous control over a water activity range spanning dilute to solvent-free conditions, investigation across a broad droplet volume range, application of multiple analytical techniques to confirm independently accelerated reactivity, and exploration of the reaction’s reversibility. Combined, this study demonstrates how aerosols can drive chemistry in accordance with Le Chatelier’s Principle on both the micro- and nano-scales
Educational Pathways and Outcomes for Care-Experienced Children:A 16-Year Longitudinal Study
No full textChildren who are removed from their birth families during childhood – termed care-experienced – can be at risk for lower educational attainment and poorer school experiences, often linked to deprivation and behavioural factors. However, research often uses aggregated measures that obscure the complexities of care (e.g. timing, and placements) and evidence is needed to understand the factors that could explain the link between care-experience and attainment.We used anonymised, individual-level, population-scale linked data from the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage Databank, covering children born in Wales between 2000–2003. Children were followed to their examinations at age 10/11 and 15/16 to assess attainment. To capture the complexity of care-experiences, we conducted latent class analysis to identify distinct care profiles. Using a three-step approach, we estimated the association between these profiles and attainment at age 10/11. To explore the pathways to attainment, we applied causal mediation analysis to assess how school-related factors—school moves, free school meals, and suspension or exclusion—mediated the relationship between the care profiles and their attainment at age 15/16.We identified seven care-experience profiles. Children who were adopted had the highest attainment, while those entering foster care later had the lowest. School-related factors explained some of the lower attainment among children with short, early care who returned home.These findings highlight the complexity of care-experiences and their association with attainment. We advocate for improved support in Wales, including implementing the Virtual School Model and broader definitions to ensure inclusive support for children who may be hidden to schools